Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang
by NotJossWhedon
Summary: One tiny piece of information that the Watcher's council missed when they were profiling "William the Bloody" will change everything…
1. Chapter 1

**This is my second BTVS Fanfiction.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own BTVS.**

**A/N: Takes place mid-season four.**

**Summary: One tiny piece of information that the Watcher's council missed when they were profiling "William the Bloody" will change everything…**

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><p>"Faster." I commanded. The speed that Hadley was deflecting the vampire's blows was horribly slow; slow was going to get her dead.<p>

"I'm trying." She said through her teeth as she managed to flip the vampire over and pin him. As she was distracted by reaching for her stake, the vampire took the upper hand, securing her by her hair and exposing her throat.

I took that as my cue to step in. I raised my own stake, positioned directly over the vampire's heart. Sighing, the vampire released her, looking up to me with an exasperated expression plastered on his abnormally pale face, "Oh come on; do you really have to—" I rammed the stake into his heart.

The vampire exploded into dust. "Yes." Glaring down at Hadley, I offered a hand to help her to her feet. she accepted it, visibly wincing, as she knew she was in for a lecture from yours truly. "Have I taught you nothing?" It had been six months since I'd taken nineteen year old orphan Hadley Roche on as my apprentice. Vampires had killed her family when she was sixteen and Hadley was immediately shoved into the lovely foster care system of Massachusetts. I'd caught her trying to seduce a vampire so that she could kill him, but Hadley had ended getting her own stake rammed into her shoulder. To get information out of her, I'd lied to the police and doctors, saying that I was her estranged aunt. After Hadley was all healed up, she just kind of stuck around; like a parasite. Not that I don't love the kid to death, but motherhood had never been one of my goals in life.

Her deep blue eyes were brimming with tears of frustration. "I'm sorry."

I sighed, "Don't apologize to me. You're the one that's going to end up dead." Hadley sniffed miserably and I patted her on the shoulder, "Look, hunting isn't something that comes naturally. But you'll get it eventually. But you have to remember, love; someday, I won't be there to step in." She nodded, taking a deep, shaky breath. "Come on, let's get you cleaned up."

Pleadingly, she looked up to me, "Can't I try again, Ros?"

"You do realize that eventually, you have to go to sleep, right?" I asked, eyebrows raised. It was already two o'clock in the morning.

"Well, yeah, but…I want to get this right." If I'd learned anything during our six months together, it was that when Hadley put her mind to something, there was no stopping her.

"Fine." She smiled a bit, "But be quick about it." I hopped up onto one of the shorter headstones as Hadley walked slowly through the mess of graves, searching for the potential vampiric ones, "You're starting classes tomorrow. And stay where I can see you!"

"Yeah, yeah…" Hadley waved me off as she walked further away.

I took a deep breath, closing my eyes for a brief moment. Christ, this girl was a handful. If she wasn't being reckless, she was being a typical teenager. I swear, sometimes, she speaks a completely different language than the rest of the human population… When I opened my eyes again, a young blond woman with a stake was standing over me. "Hello." She smiled. Hm. A young blond woman was standing over me with a stake. I yelped, rolling off of the headstone and landing in a crouch.

Scrambling to my feet, I called over to Hadley, "Hadley! We have a problem!"

"So, I'm just wondering," She made casual conversation as she came closer and closer… "What kind of vampire takes a nap on a headstone out in the open like that?"

"The non-vampy kind." I took a few steps back; this had to be the Slayer. "I have a pulse, love." Stake raised, Hadley was sprinting over, ready to spear the Slayer. "No!" I seized her around the waist, "Hadley, she's not a vampire!"

The young Slayer wore a confused expression on her face, "Wait; you know about vampires?"

I snorted, rolling my eyes as I released Hadley, "Who doesn't Barbie?"

"It's Buffy." She corrected, visibly relaxing as she lowered her stake.

"Right." I looked past the Slayer, distracted by the dark figure jogging to catch up with her. It was clearly male, with bleached blond hair and a long leather duster. As he came closer, I froze. Irony at its best; he looked better dead. Wild brown hair had been replaced by carefully gelled, bleached hair; no more glasses or odd little ascot. This man was radiating confidence.

"Lost you for a bit Slayer, though maybe you'd caught wind of Adam, seeing as how bloody fast you—" The man's eyes locked with mine. Beautiful, eerie blue eyes. His lips parted unconsciously in surprise. Tilting his head slightly to the side, he said, "Rosalyn."

Summoning up all of my inner strength, I acknowledged him simply, "William."

Awkwardly, the Slayer asked, "You two know each other?"

_Then:_

"_Father, must I do this?" I was not thrilled with the idea of marrying someone I'd never even met._

_Seizing my shoulders roughly, he said, "You will do as I command. I am your father and it is my wish that you marry Mr. Pratt! I give you no choice; your acceptance of his proposal has already been sent. Else we wouldn't be on our way to have tea."_

_Jerking out of his grasp, I glared, "Do you care nothing for my feelings?"_

_Softer, he continued, "Rosalyn, you're my daughter—_"

"_I've never even met the man!"_

_Jaw set, Father drew back his hand and slapped me. Gasping from the sting, not of the blow, but of the shock that Father had stricken me, I clenched my teeth together. "You will have plenty of time to get to know each other after the wedding… If your mother could see you right now, she would be ashamed."_

_With my hand to my cheek, I returned, "Mother never would have accepted the proposal in the first place!"_

"_Hopefully Mr. Pratt has more of a tolerance for women who don't know their place. God forbid you should learn to hold your tongue!"_

_The carriage was slowing to a stop. My heart was racing like a rabbit; in less than two minutes, I would meet my husband to be for the first time. I prayed that Mr. Pratt would be a kind man, at least in comparison with my father. Mayhaps Mr. Pratt would be patient and intelligent and just as nervous as I was. The only thing that I knew about him was that he wrote poetry. A man had to be learned in some degree to write poetry. I wanted a husband that held my opinion in esteem; a man that was the complete opposite of my _dear _father._

_I took a deep breath, looking out the carriage window to see a beautiful house on sprawling grounds. A white-railed porch wrapped all the way around the two story, red paneled house. A man with mousy brown hair and a pair of spectacles perched on his nose was exiting the house in a flurry. He practically raced down the steps only to stop beside a beautiful older woman in a wheelchair._

_The footman hopped off of the back of the carriage and opened the door for my father, who in turn, held his hand out for me. Albeit reluctantly, I stepped out of the carriage, hem on my dress in hand. Shyly, I glanced over at the house once more before my father led me to meet the man and woman._

_The woman spoke first, smiling as she looked me up and down, "Good afternoon, Ms. Martin. I am Mrs. Pratt, your future mother-in-law—_" _The man blanched a bit at her choice of words. "And this is my son, William. Your fiancé." She gestured toward the brown haired man._

_William took my hand, kissing my knuckles, "It's lovely to meet you, Ms. Martin."_

_Managing a smile, I replied, "And you as well, Mr. Pratt."_

Now:

"You could say that, yeah." William answered with a slight smirk on his face. "Who's the lil' bit?"

Hadley spoke before I could, using the usual guise when we encountered strangers, "I'm Hadley, her daughter."

William's eyebrows shot up, "Daughter, eh?" Hadley nodded. "I'm Spike."

I was too confused to react. Hadley snorted, "Seriously? 'Spike?' What were you, an angry bull dog in a past life?"

My former husband laughed, "Oh I like you." Pursing his lips, 'Spike' turned to me, saying seriously, "We need to talk."

"Yeah." That was all I could manage before I was silenced by the tiny red dot of a gun laser landing on my chest. At the edge of the trees, I could see a group of men, all dressed in black holding guns, emerging from beyond the cemetery. Looking from 'Spike' to the Slayer, I sighed, "I take it they're not with you."

"Nope." Buffy squeaked, "Run!"

"Go!" I shouted, making sure that Hadley was in front of me, I took off without another look back. After a few minutes, I realized that I had no idea where we were going, but there was an abandoned pawn shop up ahead that was bound to have a few stray weapons in it.

I was about to try for the door when William grabbed ahold of my hand, yelling to Buffy, "We need to split up! Take the lil' bit!"

I nodded to Hadley to reassure her; Buffy would keep her safe. The Slayer seemed almost surprised at his suggestion, "Good idea; we'll meet back at the magic shop." Buffy ran east with Hadley and we went west.

I had no idea who was chasing us or why. The only thing I did know for certain was that I definitely hadn't expected to spend the night running for my life hand-in-hand with my formerly (presently?) dead husband.

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><p><strong>R&amp;R Please. Feedback is love.<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: For Disclaimer, see Chapter 1. Takes place Mid-season four.**

**Summary: One tiny piece of information that the Watcher's council missed when they were profiling "William the Bloody" will change everything…**

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><p>Previously on <em>Buffy the Vampire Slayer<em>

_William grabbed ahold of my hand, yelling to Buffy, "We need to split up! Take the lil' bit!"_

_I nodded to Hadley to reassure her; Buffy would keep her safe. The Slayer seemed almost surprised at his suggestion, "Good idea; we'll meet back at the magic shop." Buffy ran east with Hadley and we went west._

_I had no idea who was chasing us or why. The only thing I did know for certain was that I definitely hadn't expected to spend the night running for my life hand-in-hand with my formerly (presently?) dead husband._

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><p>Then:<p>

_Father left William and me alone in the library while he talked with Miss Anne. Well, not completely alone, as it would have been improper; Isobel, Anne's caretaker, kept a close eye on us._

_If it were possible, William seemed even more nervous than I was. When he shyly met my eyes, he almost instantly reached for his handkerchief to clean his spectacles, as if that brought him some comfort. "Miss Rosalyn—"_

"_Please, just Rosalyn."_

_Meeting my gaze fully for just a fraction of a second, William amended, "Rosalyn. What do you enjoy?"_

_That tiny instant in which William had looked at me had given me the opportunity to notice how beautiful his eyes were; bright blue, like fresh water melting off of glaciers that Uncle Frederick had shown me after his trip to Greenland. His eyes had caught me unaware and so it took me longer than normal to answer his simple question. "Reading." I relaxed slightly, gazing around the library at the walls filled with books. A slight smile touched his lips as he replaced his spectacles onto his nose. "Learning." Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a small cloth circle with half of a bright yellow house stitched into a pattern, "If I told you that I enjoyed sewing, it would be a lie."_

_At that, William chuckled quietly; if I hadn't been paying attention, I wouldn't have caught it. Isobel definitely did and she swatted him on the back of the head. "I apologize, Rosalyn, but you are not what I expected."_

_What? What did that mean? Not what he expected. Not what he wanted? Did he want a woman who kept her mouth shut and her head filled with thoughts of babies and cross stitching? Dear God—_

"_Have I offended you?" William asked, genuinely worried, "It's just, I'd expected your answer to be parties and dresses."_

_Oh dear god. I snorted, a very unladylike thing to do, but it fit the moment. "If it had been, I would have died of boredom long ago." That earned me another chuckle, and I realized that William hadn't been mocking me; he truly had been surprised. Gladly, apparently. _

_I spotted a leather bound, dark red book opened to near the middle laying on one of the circular tables. I got to my feet, William scrambled to his own, out of propriety and to see where I was going, and gently lifted the book off of the table, reading the author's name. Thomas Hood. Poetry. "Is this yours?" I asked curiously, reading the first entry on the page that the volume had been opened to._

"_Er—Yes." William said, almost guiltily._

"_You like to read poetry?" Of course I already knew this, but it would have been rude of me to assume._

"_Very much. I find it soothing; like a song." There was that half-smile again._

_I chuckled at the first poem._

"Don't go to weep upon my grave,

And think that there I be.

They haven't left an atom there

Of my anatomy."

-Thomas Hood

_I looked back to William to find him smiling at me. "What is it?" I asked, confused by the far off look in his eye._

_His hand brushed mine as I handed him the book, "I should like to make you smile like that again, Rosalyn."_

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><p>Now:<p>

BANG! A bullet whizzed past my left arm, missing it by a fraction of an inch. Spike practically threw me into an alley just in the nick of time. Keeping ahold of my arm, Spike spun me around to press me up against the wall, shielding me with his body. His hand went to my face, the ghost of a touch skimmed my skin, "You alright?"

My breath caught in my throat and not because of my close encounter with a bullet, "Yeah, I'm good." Spike led me in a brisk walk down the alley until we hit a side street. There was the soft mumble of voices as a few couples walked hand in hand down the nearly deserted street. The only light that I could see, besides the street lamps, was coming from a tiny shop on the corner of the next block.

"Come on, love." Spike kept ahold of my hand, leading me toward the tiny shop. The sign read 'Magic Box;' this was where we were supposed to be meeting Hadley and the Slayer.

Once we were inside, Spike locked the door behind us. The inside of the store was quaint, dim, and filled with several people I didn't recognize. One man was much older than the others and dressed in Harrison Ford tweed. Obviously a Watcher. The redheaded young woman was practically dripping with power, unlike the dark haired young man in plaid that was standing beside her. Buffy was standing beside Hadley, who was glancing from Spike to me and back again.

"Finally." Buffy said. Apparently she had no patients for the bleached blond vampire. Not that I blamed her; William could be difficult at times. "What, did you guys take the scenic route?"

Spike glared, pointing a finger at the Slayer, "I'll have you know, we almost got shot by those bloody soldier boys!"

Hadley crossed the shop to take her place beside me, "Are you okay?"

I smiled down at her, "Yeah. I'm fine. You?"

She shrugged, "I didn't get shot."

I chuckled, "Well, that's always a plus." Hadley rolled her eyes.

The dark haired boy cleared his throat, "Not to rain on anybody's parade, but, would you care to fill the rest of us in, Buff?"

The Slayer looked from me to Hadley before introducing the two of us. "They're—Well—I don't really know, but they know Spike."

"Not exactly something to brag about…" The Watcher rolled his eyes.

The redhead came right up to me, "Hi! I'm Willow."

"Erm…Hi. Ros." I said simply, "My daughter, Hadley."

Hadley shook Willow's hand, glancing at Spike, "I don't know him."

"This is Xander," the dark haired human boy shook my hand as Willow spoke, "and Giles."

After greeting the human boy and Watcher, I took point with the Slayer, "So, I take it you're already acquainted with our gun-toting friends?"

Buffy smirked, "Oh yeah. They neutered Spike."

"Oi!" Spike strode forward, advancing on the Slayer, "That's a hell of a thing to say in front of my wife!"

Everyone's eyebrows went straight up including Spike's; it was as if he just realized what he'd said.

Hadley was the first to recover. She chuckled nervously, "Your what?"

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><p><strong>R&amp;R Please.<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: See Chapter 1 for disclaimer.**

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><p>Previously on <em>Buffy the Vampire Slayer:<em>

_I took point with the Slayer, "So, I take it you're already acquainted with our gun-toting friends?"_

_Buffy smirked, "Oh yeah. They neutered Spike."_

"_Oi!" Spike strode forward, advancing on the Slayer, "That's a hell of a thing to say in front of my wife!"_

_Everyone's eyebrows went straight up including Spike's; it was as if he just realized what he'd said. _

_Hadley was the first to recover. She chuckled nervously, "Your what?"_

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><p>Now:<p>

I pressed my mouth into a firm line. If I'd known that William was here, or alive for that matter, I'd never have brought Hadley to Sunnydale in the first place. Not that I harbored any ill feelings for my husband, but it would be better to keep him out of the nastiness that I was mixed up in. William had always been irrational when it came to me…

The Watcher broke the silence, speaking directly to Spike, "There was no mention of you being married in any of the texts." He went to stand beside his Slayer, who still had a bit of a confused glaze on her face.

With eyes full of mixed emotions, Spike looked to me, "She up and left after a year." I stopped breathing for a moment, stunned at his equivalent of a mental slap. I grinded my teeth together to keep from saying something I would regret. I knew that he didn't want me dead, so that had to mean that in some way, deep down, he still cared about me. That didn't mean that his brash comment didn't sting.

Xander piped up, clearly not able to resist baiting the vampire, "Oh, so she didn't like what you had to offer, Blondie?"

I smiled venomously at the boy. "I have the moral compass of a deranged psychopath. Don't test me." Spike glanced at me, confused at my defending him.

"If you don't mind me asking, erm, Ros, but what are you?" Giles asked, peering at me curiously, "Clearly you're not human, what with living as long as you've claimed to…"

I looked around the room, all of them were waiting, including Hadley, but she was waiting for a different answer. Why hadn't I ever told her that I'd been married? To be honest, it had never come up in conversation, and I'd never thought to mention it. Removing my jacket, I turned around, lifting the back of my shirt up to reveal the crisscrossing scars along my spine. After one hundred and twenty one years, they'd remained pink, never fading to a silvery white, probably because of the magic that had been used in the ritual. "I'm 'blessed;' it's more of a curse, really. Why, you ask? Two words: Antoine Gregorovich."

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><p>November 3, 1879: London, England<p>

_I was cold. I was naked. The air was damp and musty. The sickly sweet smell still clung to my nose, making me drowsy; the remnants from when the man in black had pressed the cloth to my face after he'd forced me to write that horrible letter to my William. My eyes felt as if they were glued shut, but I had to get them open if I wanted to live, to escape…. Once I'd accomplished what seemed to be impossible, I had to blink rapidly to clear my vision. _

_I seemed to be restrained at my wrists and ankles, hovering just above the floor. There was some kind of crude looking pentagram hoisted upon the wall to my left. Footsteps. I froze. The man in black. In the dim light, I could barely make out his features, save his dark eyes. "Finally awake, are we?" He asked with a thick Irish brogue. "How are you feeling, then, Missy?"_

_It took me a moment to speak; my head was cluttered, as if spiders had made a nest in my brain… So in that moment, I spat at him. "I shan't give you anything!"_

_He laughed, "Oh, you shan't?" Coming toward me, he seized me roughly by my face with one hand, "Who says I won't just take it?" He kissed me roughly on the mouth. Struggling the best I could in the restraints, I bit him fiercely on the lip, drawing blood. The man in black cried out before laughing again. "You'll do nicely." I screamed over and over, praying that someone would hear me and run for help. "No one can hear you; you may as well save your breath…"_

_I fought the urge to cry. Tears wouldn't help me stay alive, so there was no use in spilling them. "For what?" I yelled, pulling at my restraints as he retreated to the wooden workbench piled with all sorts of herbs and parchments. "For what?" I yelled again, infuriated by being ignored. Still no response._

_While his back was turned to me, I fought against the restraints. The harsh metal cuffs dug into my wrists as I attempted to pull them from the ceiling. After several moments of heaving, the man in black said with his back still turned to me, "The chains are enchanted. Even if you were the strongest woman on earth, there would be no getting those chains down without taking the ceiling with you." Still, I pulled at the chains, not ready to resign to my unfortunate fate. After a moment, the man in black started toward me again, this time with a small dagger, curved like the body of a snake._

_I tried to rear back, to keep as much distance between myself and the blade as I could, but it was no use. Almost delicately, he brushed the smooth edge of the blade against my face, "Let's get this shindig started." He whispered, "You ready?" I held my breath, not ready to give him the satisfaction of hearing me whimper as I wanted to. A manic smile spread over his face, "Well alrighty, then. _Incendia_." A circle of candles on the ground below my feet were suddenly aflame. The man in black moved around so that he was behind me and I could no longer see what he was doing. Once the blade bit into my skin, I decided that it was better that I couldn't see. Cutting deep into the center of my back, the blade scraped my spine over and over again, making a crisscross pattern of slices. I screamed over and over, so that I couldn't tell where one scream stopped and another began. My throat burned; I felt like he was flaying me alive… And then he stopped. There was a moment of silence, in which all I could hear was the lick of the flames at my feet and slow 'drip drip' of my blood onto the floor. "I call upon you, Freyja, goddess of death, to bring forth your almighty power and bestow it upon the worthy champion!"_

_There was a rush of air out of nowhere, extinguishing the candles, powerful enough to make the chains that were securing me sway. Suddenly, a woman appeared. She wore a thin, long, white gauzy dress trimmed with gold thread and a small royal blue cloak. A thin band of pure gold was perched on her head of fiery red hair. Her eyes went from me to the man in black and then back to me. There was something about her that wasn't right. This woman could not possibly be human… She spoke in a high soprano voice, "What is it you want?"_

_The man in black immediately fell to his knees, head bowed, "I am your champion, goddess. I wish the power that was promised to me by your priestess, Rebekah."_

_She looked to me again, tenderness filling her eyes before she looked down to the man in black. She threw back her head and laughed heartily, "You are no champion of mine, worm."_

"_But I deserve—"_

"_You deserved nothing! Less than nothing!" She kicked him in the stomach and crossed the room to me. Softly, she stroked my face with an almost maternal look upon her own. "You are a good woman; this I know." She smiled sadly, "This," She motioned to my back, "pains me." Laying her hand gently above my heart, she said simply, "Sleep." Then there was no—_

_Suddenly I was awake. I gasped for breath, as if I'd never taken a breath before. Looking around, I realized that I was on the cold stone floor sprawled beside the man in black, who was about ten meters away from his head. Relief dominated all other emotions now that I was free from the chains. The pain in my back had faded to a dull throb and I no longer felt faint. The strange woman was nowhere to be seen…_

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><p>Now:<p>

I looked straight at Spike while I answered, "Antoine Gregorovich took me from our home, forced me to write a 'Dear John' letter, and then used me to summon a goddess." I saw a muscle twitch in Spike's gaunt jaw; he was holding something back, but just barely. "Freyja blessed me with death after what Gregorovich had done. Then she brought me back. Permanently."

Looking around the room at all of the unfamiliar faces, I saw a mix of emotions; pity, sadness, fear, confusion, and guilt. I sighed. What the hell were we doing here? Hadley had her first day of school tomorrow and I was dead on my feet… I cleared my throat, "Thanks for everything; I owe you one, Slayer. We'd better get going." I patted Hadley on the shoulder, "Come on."

Before anyone could speak, I had maneuvered us out of the Magic Box. That was when I realized that the car was back at the cemetery. Hadley looked around at the empty street suddenly donning a confused expression, "Um…Did you—_"_

"Leave the car at Restfield? Yup." I exhaled, glad to escape the Slayer and her friends; more importantly, Spike. I didn't know how much longer I would have lasted in the same room with him. I slung my arm around Hadley's shoulders, "Looks like we're walking."

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><p><strong>R&amp;R please.<strong>


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: See Chapter 1 for Disclaimer.**

* * *

><p>Previously on <em>Buffy the Vampire Slayer:<em>

_Before anyone could speak, I had maneuvered us out of the Magic Box. That was when I realized that the car was back at the cemetery. Hadley looked around at the empty street suddenly donning a confused expression, "Um…Did you—"_

"_Leave the car at Restfield? Yup." I exhaled, glad to escape the Slayer and her friends; more importantly, Spike. I didn't know how much longer I would have lasted in the same room with him. I slung my arm around Hadley's shoulders, "Looks like we're walking."_

* * *

><p>Now:<p>

"Hadley!" I yelled up the steps of the apartment, "Let's go!" Technically, we should have left twenty minutes ago, but if I broke every driving law known to man, we would probably make the meeting on time. There was no response except the clatter of what I assumed were hair care bottles falling to the floor of the bathroom. "Now!" I yelled impatiently, glancing at the clock. Seven fifty. Bloody hell. I hate being late.

There was a swift patter of feet as Hadley came racing down the stairs, "Sorry; that took longer than I thought it would." She swung her bag onto her shoulder as I slid into my jacket and snatched my keys off of the counter. Hadley grabbed her shoes, not even bothering to put them on, "I'll do it in the car." She muttered when I raised an eyebrow.

Hadley continued getting ready as I raced to get her to the recreational center that was currently serving as a makeshift high school. Surprisingly, she managed to do her makeup without getting eyeliner all over her face while I drove like a bat out of hell and swung the car not-so-gracefully into the nearest parking spot at seven fifty-nine.

We practically ran to the front office, to the amusement of her new peers around us. Out of breath, I leaned up against the counter, ""My name is Rosalyn Martin. I have a meeting with Principle Rhodes about my daughter," I slung a lazy arm around her shoulders, "Hadley." I smiled for good measure.

The curly redheaded woman smiled up at me, "Ah…" Her eyes skimmed her computer, "Yes." She printed some kind of paper out and gave it to Hadley, "Here's your schedule." She looked back at me, "Just a moment." She bustled off to knock on the door of the back office.

Looking down at Hadley, I warned her, "You're going to regret convincing me to let you go back to high school."

She took a deep breath, pursing her lips, "Well, I just thought it would be nice to have a backup plan if I ever decide to quit hunting…"

I chuckled, "No one decides to quit hunting. They just get dead." I took the spray bottle from my purse, "Here." I shoved it into her hand as discreetly as I could, "It's holy water; just in case."

Hadley snorted, "I'm pretty sure that the vampires won't attack me in the daytime, what with the consequence of going up in flames and all…"

I elbowed her in the side, "Ugh, would you just shut up and take it! I'm trying to be motherly!" She rolled her eyes, shoving the bottle obediently into her backpack just as the secretary returned.

Smiling hugely, she said, "Principal Rhodes will see you now." She looked to Hadley, taking her by the arm, "I'll show you to your classes, dear."

I watched Hadley until she and the secretary disappeared down the hall. Reluctantly, I went into the principal's office. "Mrs. Martin?" A broad shouldered, balding man in a knockoff suit lifted his eyes from the file he was intently studying to smile at me. He stood and shook my hand, "I'm Principal Rhodes, temporary principal at the temporary Sunnydale High School." He joked with a smile. "Please, have a seat. I was just looking over Hadley's file…" I smiled, slightly confused at his tone as he flipped through the _very _thick file that I'd had a friend of mine doctor. "She seems to be a very bright girl, but suddenly just dropped out of school during her senior year." He looked at me questioningly as he removed his glasses.

It was strange how slimy demons and vampires that wanted to tear my throats open didn't scare me, but this human man sitting behind a fairly scuffed desk had me nervous as hell. "Yeah. Her, erm, father, took off last year. It was a really difficult time for the both of us… I decided that it would be best for her to take a break from school; her grades were falling and she was miserable. I wasn't going to put my daughter through that." Nor had I expected to have to lie through my teeth.

"I understand, Mrs. Martin." The principal said with a knowing smile, "What concerns me is the past incident at St. George's Academy for the Arts."

"About that—" Why the hell hadn't Mick taken that out? I was going to strangle that evil little—

With his eyebrows raised, the principal said simply, "Your daughter burned down the auditorium, Mrs. Martin..."

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><p><em>Then:<em>

_Ugh. I stepped through the unconscious pile of bodies of the campus security guards. Poor blokes never knew what hit them. "Hadley!" The girl in question poked her head up from the rubble of what was previously the auditorium. "You alright?"_

"_Yeah!" She had a huge smile plastered on her face that was a bit unnerving. She'd just taken down four security guards, a djinn, lit a building on fire, and jumped out of a two story window. Crazy chit. I shook my head, still amazed at the progress she'd made in only a month after her parent's deaths. She'd continued attending St. George's after I'd taken her on as my apprentice. Hadley brushed herself off, slightly limping on her left leg as she made her way over to me. "How'd I do, Boss?"_

"_Good." I picked a splinter of wood out of her plaster covered mane, "But couldn't you have done it without the pyrotechnics?"_

_She smiled, "Where's the fun in that?" I rolled my eyes; she was definitely a strange one. "So, will you take me hunting for vampires now?"_

_And there she goes, bringing it up again; the one thing that she really wanted to hunt. The same creature that had murdered her parents in their beds... "Look, love, I don't know…"_

"_If not now, when?" Her smile faded as tears brimmed her eyes._

_Taking a deep breath, I slung an arm around her shoulders, hugging her gently to me, "Soon."_

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><p>I took a defensive posture, saying simply through clenched teeth, "That was never proved." It wasn't exactly a lie, but I was definitely toeing the line. Hadley had burned down the auditorium at St. George's, but only to kill the djinn that she'd trapped inside…but apparently that was beside the point.<p>

"Of course." This man clearly didn't want to deal with angry parents, glancing every now and then at the ginormous stack of paperwork on his desk. If looks could kill, that paperwork would be dust. He stood up with gruff smile, "It was a pleasure meeting you, Mrs. Martin."

"Ta." I didn't bother shaking his hand as I practically sprinted out the door.

Back at the house, I was relaxing, putting my feet up in what felt like was the first time in decades, when the front door burst open and a smoking figure covered in a dark wool blanket came barreling through the door. I scrambled to my feet, confused. The creature made no move to attack me... I looked down to the creatures shoes. Black combat boots. Spike. I groaned. Peachy. "What? Did you miss the whole 'up in flames' part of Vampires 101?" I asked as he tossed the blanket off and onto the floor.

He sniffed, blinking a few times against the smoke coming from his skin. "Ha bloody ha." He pursed his lips, thinking for a moment. Spike walked toward me until we were no less than a foot apart. His took an unnecessary breath, "We need to talk."

Just being around him made me jittery, "Alright then, talk." I stepped aside so that he could sit on the couch.

He didn't move, "Don't do that." His hand came up to ghost across my cheek, "Just, don't…"

I feigned innocence, "Don't do what?" I asked, crossing my arms defensively.

"Pretend you don't care!" He took my hand, "I know you, Ros. You're still keeping that bloody wall up! You don't want to let anyone in, save a select few…I used to be one of those few…" He tried to reach out to touch my arm.

I jerked away, "You don't know anything about me. Not anymore."

"See? There it is. What are you hiding, Ros? You let me in once—"

"You aren't him." I growled, tightening the grip on my own arms; I knew without looking that my knuckles were white. My arms ached. It was his fault; seeing Spike made me on edge. He was so like William, and yet so different.

He snorted, "Is that what you think?" He grabbed my arms forcefully, but not to hurt me, "Because I'm a vampire, I'm not the same man you married?"

"Yes!" I yelled, pushing him away, "You are the complete opposite of William! The way you act! The way you bloody speak!"

He'd stayed completely stationary throughout my spiel, "See now, I think that's the shock talking." Spike took another step toward me. I turned around. Christ, I couldn't even look at him.

Silently begging my voice to stay steady, I asked the one question I'd been dying to since we'd run into each other at Restfield. I knew that the answer, no matter what it was, was going to be like a knife through my heart. I took a shaky breath, biting back my fear.

"Did you even look for me?"

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><p><strong>R&amp;R please.<strong>


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: As you know, I am _not_ Joss Whedon…therefore I own nothing. Except Ros and Hadley…and Michael as you will soon find out.**

**A/N: If you are opposed to strong language…Tough.**

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><p>Previously on <em>Buffy the Vampire Slayer:<em>

_"You are the complete opposite of William! The way you act! The way you bloody speak!"_

_He'd stayed completely stationary throughout my spiel, "See now, I think that's the shock talking." Spike took another step toward me. I turned around. Christ, I couldn't even look at him._

_Silently begging my voice to stay steady, I asked the one question I'd been dying to since we'd run into each other at Restfield. I knew that the answer, no matter what it was, was going to be like a knife through my heart. I took a shaky breath, biting back my fear._

_"Did you even look for me?"_

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><p>Now:<p>

"Did I even—Christ, Ros, of course I did! How could I not? You were—You are—my wife!" Spike spun me around to face him. His searching eyes were wild, sparking almost. "It nearly did me in when I asked Maryanne where you were and she said that she thought you had gone to meet me in London…" His hand came up to stroke my face, "…then I found that bloody letter!" Spike gently tucked a lose strand of hair behind my ear, "For an entire year, I looked for you! I didn't want to believe that you'd left me—And then Mother convinced me to go to the Underwood's for that stupid bloody party…I got very drunk and…well…" He gestured to himself, "You get the gist of it."

I was shaking. I couldn't do this… "Please let me go." Him touching me just made it all the more worse…

It took a moment, but he let got of me, albeit reluctantly. I turned to walk toward the kitchen; I needed a drink. Spike followed and asked after a moment in a very steady voice, "Why did you leave?"

I reached up on my tiptoes to the top cabinet above the sink and grabbed the bottle of bourbon, "Because I couldn't just walk through the front door after a week and say, 'Hi honey! A psychotic with a very _big_ imagination has spent the last week torturing me and now I'm immortal. How was your day?'" I opened the bottle and took a swig, "You wouldn't have wanted to be around me after that anyways." I could feel his eyes on me as I stared out the window above the sink. "I spent most of my time trying to kill myself…"

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><p>Then:<p>

_One year. _

_It had been a whole year since I'd died for the first and final time…_

_It was all I could think about now. I'd tried so many different ways, but there was nothing I couldn't come back from. Burning, stabbing, shooting, drowning, falling, suffocating…beheading. Nothing could stop my heart, my dead heart, from pumping. Nothing could stop my pain. I had a death wish that would never be granted…_

_As I chose my next fatal experiment, I made sure that it would be in an area or time of day in which not many people would be present. People meant police, which in turn meant the morgue. Waking up to a man cutting into my chest and breaking my ribs isn't something I'd like to repeat._

_The train would be coming into London today…It would do nicely…_

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><p>Now:<p>

"Why the bleedin' hell would you do that?" Spike nearly yelled, snatching the bottle from me as I was determined to drain it dry and shaking me roughly.

"You have no idea. You have no fucking idea what it's like!" I pushed him off of me, "I can't just slit my wrists and be done with it! I can't walk up to the Slayer and ask her to off me! I can't do anything! I am as powerless in death as I was in life! There isn't a day that goes by that I don't wish that that bitch had left me dead…" Tears of frustration were streaming down my face; _there goes my makeup, _I thought absently. "Her _gift_," I spat the word, "needs a fucking return policy!" I snatched the bottle back and took a long drink, scooting back so that I was beyond his reach. He took a step closer, reaching for the bottle again with a deadly look on his face…that was before his hand started to sizzle. "Ha." I managed, content to be separated from my former husband by a patch of sunlight.

"Cor, woman!" He glared at me from the sunlight-free part of the kitchen. I knew that if he really wanted to, the sunlight wouldn't stop him from taking the bottle…but he wouldn't. "You keep this up, and I'll find a way to kill you!"

We stayed that way, trading glares from across the kitchen, both of us too stubborn to cross the patch of light, until the phone rang. We both looked to the phone. I thought about just letting it ring, but the shrill noise was grating on my already-raw nerves… I didn't even bother glancing at the caller ID as I picked up the receiver up off of the counter beside me and barked, "What?"

"Jesus, Ros, don't rip my head off…" Michael. What the hell did he—

"What the hell do you want, Michael?" I growled as Spike's eyes locked on my face; the man could give Medusa herself a run for her money with his death glares.

"Well, _somebody's _bitchy today…" Michael muttered, "I found that copy of the Ars Goetia that you were looking for in Madrid. Alejandro actually _did_ have it, but apparently _somebody_ _threatened to rip his face off…_" Ah, Michael; an Ex-Watcher straight out of the Cardiff branch and trained in demonic arts by yours truly…

"Michael, if you don't start talking sense, I'm going jump through the phone and rip _your_ face off. Got it?"

There was an audible sigh before he spoke, "God, what are you, PMSing or something?" The line suddenly went dead and there was a tiny 'pop' as Michael materialized in the patch of sunlight. "Here's your damned book." He shoved the dusty volume into my arms in an annoyed fashion before turning to see Spike standing behind him. "This your new boyfriend? He looks a hell of a lot like—" He paused, looking Spike up and down, "Oh. He is your ex…Well, this has been refreshingly awkward, but I'm gonna go now." Michael snapped his fingers and disappeared once again.

"Friend of yours?" Spike asked with a mixture of confusion and amusement on his face.

I chuckled humorlessly, "If by 'friend' you mean a person whose legs I would occasionally fancy breaking, then yeah. He's a great friend."

"What d'you need a book like that for?" Spike asked, visibly relaxing as I did the same. Talking shop would distract us from each other...

"The real reason that I brought Hadley to Sunnydale. I'm looking for a demon; an Old One. He took something of mine and I want it back."

I pursed my lips, thinking for a moment while Spike asked, "I thought the Old Ones died out ages ago..." I shook my head, "Well, what'd he take?"

"My soul."

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><p><strong>R&amp;R please.<strong>


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